Friday, July 31, 2015

A portion of the proceeds from the sell of the newly released Die-Versions dies as well as the stamp sets will be donated to help with cancer research.

Almost every one has been touched by cancer is one way or another. Either you or a family member has had cancer or you know someone who has had cancer. The Designers from both teams are joining together to help the fight to eradicate all cancers by inspiring you.

Die-Versions

Die-Versions has NINE new low profile dies (July 2015 Reveal- scroll down to the end of the reveal) and Sparkle N Sprinkle is releasing THREE stamp sets for this Awareness Campaign. All stamp sets will be 20% off until Aug 3.

A Grand Prize winner will be chosen from comments left on the Designers' blogs and will be announced on August 4th. You won't know who the Mystery Designer is until after the Joint Blog hop, so remember to leave a comment with each of the Designers.

I have chosen Lavender for the color of my Cancer Awareness ribbon because this is the color ribbon used for all cancers. There are so many different types of cancer (and cancer ribbons) that the eradication of all cancers should be addressed, not just one or two that are in the spot light all the time.

I created this card by beginning with the center panel. It is actually a gate fold type of card and is created with one piece of cardstock folded in thirds and then die cut with the Spellbinders Labels Eleven die. (Tip: To make sure the side edges don't cut through the paper, make sure the cutting blade of the die is located on the outside of the creases.)

With the gate fold top closed, I stamped the SNS Pink Ribbon Background stamp with VersaMark and heat set it with Wisteria embossing powder. Worn Lipstick Distress Ink was then lightly applied to the backing paper, both on the inside and outside. I also applied Wisteria embossing powder to the two folding inside half panels.

Next I die cut the DV Awareness Ribbon Words from white cardstock and again from fun foam so that I could add dimension to the ribbons and I adhered two of the six ribbon words to the front of the gate fold.

The sentiment, which is from the SNS Survivor stamp set, was stamped with Black Soot Distress Ink and heat embossed with Clear Detail embossing powder onto white cardstock. This was die cut using a smaller Labels Eleven die from the set. The small stamped ribbon, which is from the SNS Awareness stamp set, was heat embossed with Wisteria embossing powder.

This center panel was then layered onto a piece of Super Adhesive Sheet which was die cut using the smallest die in the Grand Labels Eleven. After placing the completed center panel into the center of the super adhesive sheet, I added Sugar Plum glitter to the remaining adhesive to create a glittery border. Then as a final layer, I die cut a larger sized Grand Labels Eleven from white cardstock and heat embossed more Wisteria embossing powder around the edges.

I recently heard about a support group for people with cancer from a blogging friend called Chemo Angels. If you know someone going through chemo treatments or are interested in sending cards to people going through chemo, you may want to check out this site. It always amazes me how even the smallest gestures (like sending a card) bring the biggest smiles.

Hopefully you came from Ashley's blog. Your next stop on the Awareness Campaign Blog Hop is Ani. If you get lost along the way or have a problem with a link, the complete list of Designers is located on both the Die-Versions Blog as well as the Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog. Happy Hopping! And remember, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these dies and stamp sets will be donated to cancer research :-). Happy Hopping!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Today's card features the Die-VersionsMixed Drinks die and is a bright, fun card which would be perfect for celebrating just about anything.

To start off, I die cut the image twice from white cardstock and once from black fun foam. I kept all the negative pieces from the first die cut and colored these with Copic markers. Sunny Daze glitter was also added to the flower centers and Glossy Accents was added to the drinks.

After coloring the second die cut with Copic markers, I adhered this layer over the die cut with all negative pieces, automatically giving me extra dimension. A trick I learned from my fellow team mate, Lisa, was to add a "shadow" die cut. (Thanks, Lisa.) Instead of black cardstock, the image was die cut from black fun foam, my favorite way to add dimension without having to worry about cutting down dimensional dots to fit the space.

The corrugated circle was recycled from a cookie tin and Fireworks Ink spray (Dandelion) gave it a fun, vibrant color. The background layer was created using Bister wood stains on regular cardstock and a water brush.

My sentiment was die cut using the DV Cuppycake font, colored with Copic markers, and then covered with Glossy Accents.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Today I'd like to share with you a plaque I created for a friend's beach house using the Tiki Bar and the Life Is Better Cute Cube, both from Die-Versions.

The sunset background for the Tiki Bar is actually a paper towel that I used to sop up Distress Inks from my craft mat. I thought it was too pretty to just throw away, so I used an adhesive spray and adhered it to a piece of cardstock. Then I die cut it using a scalloped oval die.

The Tiki Bar was die cut from a semi-glossy grey piece of cardstock and also from fun foam (my favorite way to add dimension). The sand is from Mudd Puddles. (It's actually called Snow, but it looks more like the type of sand I'm used to seeing, not snow.) The small shells are also from Mudd Puddles (Shells). The large shells are from a beach trip to Florida a few years back.

I left the Life is Better at the Beach Cute Cube in white as I wanted it to stand out from the glossy black background. The netting is recycled from a sack of oranges.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the DV design team has created using all the new releases.

Monday, July 20, 2015

I started out by heat embossing the Tree Scene in White Detail embossing powder onto my white cardstock and then colored the background with Distress Inks (Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire). I cut away the snow banks and adhered a piece of white cardstock covered with 2 1/2" Tear-ific Tape and Cloud Nine Velvet glitter behind it to create my snow covered hills. After the star was heat embossed, it was covered with Dimensional glue and Sunny Daze glitter was added. The smaller stars in the image were colored with a Copic marker.

I also heat embossed a piece of Embossable Clear Acetate with White Detail embossing powder and fussy cut out the trees and the snow covered banks. Next I stamped my sentiment with Silver Detail embossing powder and then colored it with a blue Copic marker for a silvery-blue effect.

For the snow capped trees, I added Dimensional glue to the snowy areas on the acetate and covered them with Bridal glitter. Once this was dry, I adhered the acetate on top of the card base. This added a bit of shimmer and a little more dimension to the card base. I also die cut the Memory Box die (Frosty Border) from a piece of white cardstock covered with 2 1/2" Tear-ific Tape and Cloud Nine Velvet glitter. Flat backed pearls were added to the snowflake centers.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

We have TWO new stamp sets that we couldn't wait to share with you. These new sets are 20% off until July 18. So once you finish the blog hop, head on over to the store and start shopping. All of the new sets are available on cling mounted rubber or as a digital image.

A WINNER will be selected from the comments left on the Designers' blogs and will receive BOTH of these new sets. Please leave a comment with each Designer in order to be eligible for this Prize. You never know who the Mystery Designer will be that has the winning comment.

(*Tip: if you have difficulty with a particular link, try clicking on the Designer's blog title to send you to their Home page.)

We hope you enjoy this surprise mini reveal as much as we have enjoyed creating new projects for it. And hopefully, we have inspired you as well.

Thanks for joining us and remember to comment on each of the Designers' blogs to be eligible for the Grand Prize. (We love reading them too since your comments also inspire us.) No one knows who the Mystery Designer will be for this Mid-Month Blog Hop.

Now for a bit about my project. I decided to use the Birds of a Feather stamp set for this special Mini Reveal. To start off I stamped both the image and sentiment with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed them with Dandy Dandelion embossing powder. Next, I die cut the image using a Spellbinders die (Decorative Labels Twenty) and then went about coloring and flocking the image. (A helpful hint: don't use the flock before you die cut because it will make the flock as flat as a pancake.) Copic markers were used to add color to everything. Canary flock was used for the body and the purse was highlighted with dots of Fire Engine Red glitter. To finish my scene, I added Memory Box clouds (Puffy Clouds) that were die cut from sticker paper and covered with Cloud Nine velvet glitter. Granules of Super Thick White and Super Thick Gold embossing powders were added to the ground (be sure to heat from the underside - otherwise the granules will be blown away).

I stamped the image again on a piece of scrap paper and heat embossed it with Black Detail embossing powder so that I could fussy cut out the sun glasses and pop dot them onto the image.

The red mat was die cut using the next larger die in the Spellbinder's set from more sticker paper. Fire Engine Red glitter was used to cover the adhesive.

Your next stop on the hop is to Ashley's Blog and I know she has something fun for you too. Enjoy the hop and don't forget to comment on everyone's blog post for your chance to win both of these new sets.

We have a new challenge #22 beginning today at the Scrapy Land Challenge. The theme for this bi-monthly challenge is Steampunk, plus use any brand of die that Scrapy Land sells. They sell over 40 brands of dies, so you most likely already have some on hand.

I started out by using a digi image from Aurura Wings and colored her with Copic markers. The rose on her hat is the Mini Petals die. These aren't hard to make, but it would definitely be easier if you plan to make a bunch of these at one time.

The background uses a Dreamweavers stencil (LJ911-Gears), which was dry embossed and then Staz-On Cotton White ink was run over the top of the raised areas. The Taylored Expression's Sprockets were heat embossed using Blackened Bronze embossing powder form Sparkle N Sprinkle. As I always associate lace with steampunk (and gears), the Lacey Dots border was a perfect addition to this steampunk card.

Be sure to head on over to the Scrapy Land Challenge to see what the rest of the design team has created for you. You have until August 2nd to upload your steampunk inspired project. The winner will receive a $15 gift card to go shopping at Scrapy Land.

Monday, July 13, 2015

In order to get lots of dimension on the trees, I first applied Dimensional glue to the snowy areas and then covered it with Twinking Clouds Sparkle N Soft. After that was dry, I added some more dimensional glue and then covered it with Cloud Nine Velvet glitter. The snow on the ground is Swan Wing tinsel glitter. I applied a thin layer of Brushable glue and then covered it with the tinsel glitter.

A Memory Box die (Pine Needle Border) was die cut twice to cover the top of the frame I created. I started out with plain kraft cardstock and then spritzed it with Smooch Spritz (Electric Blue and Emerald Sprinkle). I took the photo outside in the sunlight and I loved the shadows the pine branches cast over the moon-lit night, which was created using Pan Pastels.

The card base was also heat embossing using Sparkle N Sprinkle's Sparkle embossing powder as I wanted the background to have added sparkle as well as the individual elements. As you can see, the Sparkle embossing powder was just the thing to add sparkle but not all glittery.

Here are close-ups of the Independence Bell and the Fireworks die cuts.

This was an easy card to put together and would also be perfect for someone celebrating a July birthday.